LUBBOCK — Lawrence Webb III pleaded guilty to injuring a child Thursday afternoon, about an hour after the judge declared a mistrial in Webb’s sexual assault case because of a hung jury.
Visiting Judge Richard Dambold accepted the plea deal and imposed the 10-year prison sentence that was part of the agreement. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the aggravated sexual assault of a child that was being tried and a pending charge of burglary of a habitation.
Webb, 21, originally was charged with having sex with a 13-year-old girl who had told him she was 17. The aggravated element of the charge stemmed from the fact she was younger than 14.
Injury to a child and aggravated sexual assault on a child are both Class 1 felonies in Texas, punishable by a range of five to 99 years in prison or a life sentence.
The victim’s mother, speaking during the victim impact statement portion of the plea hearing, said she went along with the agreement to spare her daughter the stress of another trial.
The girl ran from the witness stand during cross-examination Tuesday as defense attorney Sara Johnson pressed her about why she didn’t leave Webb’s house and why she didn’t cry out when he had sex with her.